Evaluating the Relationship Between Adolescent Fatherhood and Routine Health Care in a Nationally Representative Sample: A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction This study evaluates whether fatherhood status is associated with receipt of preventive care (i.e., a routine physical) among adolescent males and whether attending their child's appointments is associated with greater odds of preventive care. Method This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected from the 2011–2017 National Survey of Family Growth. The sample consisted of 3,831 males aged 15–21 years. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess the odds of having a routine physical in the previous year. Results Adolescent fatherhood (adjusted odds ratio = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = [0.32, 0.99]) was associated with reduced odds of having a routine physical in the previous year. Attending a child's appointment was not associated with having a routine physical in the previous year (adjusted odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval = [0.01, 2.31]). Discussion Having a child is associated with foregoing routine physical care in the previous 12 months. Elucidating barriers may inform interventions to increase the uptake of preventive care for adolescent fathers.